Taking advantage of its characteristics of having a wide band gap, a nitrogen-based group III-V compound semiconductor such as gallium nitrogen (GaN) is applied to light emitting devices such as light emitting diodes (LEDs) which emit high-luminance light of ultraviolet to blue and green and laser diodes (LDs) which emit light of blue purple to blue.
Such a semiconductor light emitting device is provided with a p-side electrode and an n-side electrode. There are two types in arrangement of the electrodes: a “face-up type” in which the p-side electrode and the n-side electrode are arranged on the same side of the semiconductor light emitting device; and a “flip chip type” in which the p-side electrode and the n-side electrode are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the semiconductor light emitting device.
A “face-up type” semiconductor light emitting device can be easily mounted onto a package. However, current density distribution in the device is likely to be non-uniform, and accordingly the device is likely to have non-uniform light emission distribution.
In JP-A 2001-345480 (Kokai), a group III nitrogen-based compound semiconductor device is described. In the device having an outermost diameter of 700 μm or more, a distance between an n electrode and a point of a p electrode farthest from the n electrode is 500 μm or less. Further, various shapes of electrodes are proposed.
However, even though such a conventional technology is used, there is room for improvement in fully achieved uniformity in light emission distribution.